Under the deals, KAC will buy 15 A320neo and 10 A350-900 aircraft, with an option to buy 10 more – five from each category, said Rasha Al-Rumi, cited by the official KUNA news agency. Delivery is to begin in 2019.

Earlier this month, parliament called on its legal committee to investigate the new deals by KAC, and the probe should be completed within one month. The airline company has an ageing fleet of 15 Airbus and two Boeing aircraft.

In addition to modernizing its fleet, the KAC wants to become profitable before offering a 40 percent stake to a local or foreign investor.

It has posted losses in all but one of the past 21 years, amounting to a total of more than $2.7 billion (two billion euros), which has been covered by the government.